CBI Report: Now is the time to innovate – The road to three per cent

March 20, 2017

CBI calls for a commitment to spend 3 per cent of GDP on R&D by 2025

Gene editing, space tourism, self-driving vehicles, robotic limbs, floating farms, London to Sydney in four hours. Game-changing innovations like these will shape the course of the next decade. Many will improve lives across the globe.

With evolving innovations, new technologies, and developing expertise, businesses and governments everywhere are working to tackle many of today’s greatest challenges. Already new energy technologies are reducing the UK’s carbon emissions, UK-developed vaccines are preventing deaths around the world, and healthcare innovations have the potential to save the NHS millions of pounds.

The current pace of change in technology is unrivalled and individuals, companies, and governments are under pressure to keep up.

Here in the UK our position as world leaders in science and innovation is at risk.

That’s why in a new report, we call for a commitment to spending 3 per cent of GDP on R&D by 2025 – a joint target to be met by the private sector and government. UK innovation spending is currently at 1.7 per cent of GDP, well below the spending of many international rivals. South Korea spends 4.3 per cent , Sweden 3.3 per cent and Germany 2.9 per cent , to name just three.

In The Road To 3 per cent , we set out 5 areas where business and government must improve to reach this goal:

public funding and incentives

culture and skills

collaboration

regulation and intellectual property

public services procurement

To read the report – Now is the Time to Act: The road to three percent – click here